The Paris 2024 Olympics have begun, and beyond the sporting spirit, the greatest competition gathers the most extensive group of global athletes in one place. Among them, there is a group whose success extends both inside and outside their sports.
If we rank Olympic athletes by earnings without dividing them by sport, the list would be dominated by NBA players, professional golfers, and tennis stars. These athletes have significant contracts or prize money, in addition to millions of dollars in sponsorships and ventures outside their sports.
Simone Biles, the Olympic champion, earned about $100,000 in gymnastics competitions in 2023. However, outside the sport, she took home around $7 million from sponsorships.
Indian badminton player PV Sindhu, a marketing star in her country, had similar earnings. However, sponsorships of this caliber are rare outside professional leagues.
NBA players are the highest-paid athletes in Paris, with a significant lead. The U.S. team alone has seven of the 50 highest-paid athletes in all sports. Additionally, there are 35 NBA players representing other countries in the competition. For instance, the 10 Canadian players in the league earn an average salary of $16.2 million per season.
As a category, basketball players are the most consistent earners outside the court, with all but LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo earning more from their NBA salaries than from sponsorships. LeBron James stands out as the only billionaire competing in the 2024 Olympics.
Among female athletes, tennis players reign supreme in terms of earnings. Polish player Iga Świątek, ranked number 1 in the world at just 23, is already ninth in the WTA all-time earnings ranking and has sponsorships including Rolex, Porsche, Visa, and On shoes and apparel.
Coco Gauff, ranked number 2 in the world, has added new sponsorships from Ray-Ban and hair care brand Carol’s Daughter to her already robust portfolio. Another example is Naomi Osaka, 26, who represents Japan in the Games and hopes to regain her title as the highest-paid female athlete in the world, a title she held for three consecutive years from 2020 to 2022.
Nelly Korda dominated the LPGA tour this season, earning over $3 million in prize money after winning five consecutive tournaments. The 25-year-old American is also a top pitchwoman in golf, with sponsors including Delta Air Lines, Goldman Sachs, and T-Mobile.
Canadian Brooke Henderson and South Korean Jin Young Ko are also marketing stars in their respective countries, earning about $3.5 million each.
Jon Rahm had the highest earning year of any golfer ever recorded, thanks to joining the LIV Golf Tour, which came with an initial payment of $175 million from the Saudi owners of the separatist golf tour.
Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, the number 1 and number 2 golfers in the world, respectively, stayed loyal to the PGA Tour and benefited from an increase in prize money in response to the rise of LIV.
